The Man Who Was Poe

Having found Sis’s button, Edmund and Dupin head back to Fox Point. Frustrated that Dupin never answers his questions, Edmund yells at Dupin in the street. Dupin finally tells Edmund he believed Aunty, Sis, and his mother were all murdered, but the daguerreotype and his visions today make him think that one of them is still alive. He now knows that the woman he saw in the courthouse and the cemetery was not a ghost; it was either Aunty Pru or Edmund’s mother.

Edmund relays the information about Fortnoy from Captain Elias, which contradicts Dupin’s suspicions. Dupin is convinced he “[works] better with drink” (142), and finally admits that his name is Edgar Allan Poe. He explains that he “’[is]...the man who was Poe. Now [he is] Dupin’” (142). Edmund brings Dupin to the saloon in hopes that he will share more information about the woman he saw earlier that day.

Edmund notices a bill on the wall of the saloon requesting information about his mother, Mrs. G. Rachett. Dupin deduces Aunty Pru must have posted it. Edmund tells Dupin he witnessed Catherine fetch Mr. Rachett for Helen’s house earlier this afternoon, which helps Dupin conclude that Rachett uses the alias Mr.